Russellville head coach Jeff Holt and the Crimson Cyclones couldn't have asked for better weather Friday night for their 2010 football season opener against Morrilton at the new-and-improved Cyclone Stadium. Unfortunately for both teams, the play on the field was nearly as ugly as the new synthetic turf was beautiful.

The Cyclones, looking nothing like the Russellville teams of the past several years, pounded out 286 yards on the ground and held off the Devil Dogs 28-20. Junior Antonius Davis led the way with 13 carries for 173 yards (13.3 per carry) and a touchdown, while classmate Kendall Bond had 18 carries for 120 yards (6.7) and three TDs.

The game couldn't have started any better for Russellville (1-0). Sophomore Mitch Mullen started for the Cyclones and engineered two touchdown drives. Russellville received the opening kick and took over at its 25. Mullen connected on all three of his pass attempts on the drive for 49 yards, and Bond rushed seven times for 29 yards and a 2-yard touchdown during the 11-play, 75-yard drive.

"That was the best drive of the night there, I really was proud of that," Holt said. "We just came out, and I don't know if we made a mistake on that drive. That's the way you like to start a football game."

After Morrilton (0-1) stalled out on its first drive after a big stop by sophomore Hayden Hipps at the 46, the Devil Dogs downed a 38-yard punt at the Cyclone 8.

That was no problem for Davis, who received a handoff from Mullen, raced around the right corner and sprinted 92 yards for the quick score. After Zach Barefield's point-after kick, the Cyclones held a commanding 14-0 lead.

Morrilton didn't fold, however. Despite finding themselves in a third-and-22 after an illegal formation and a combined sack on Devil Dog QB David Ford by Hipps, Gabe Limon and Ru Massey, Ford found super sophomore Jamar Criswell for a 42-yard strike to make it a one possession game.

Both teams went into a stalemate for several drives, until Massey broke through the Morrilton offensive line, stripped the ball out of Ford's hand at the Morrilton 42 and dove on the ball to give the Cyclones great field position. Two plays later, Mullen hit a wide-open Frank Chiolino for a 41-yard gain to the 1, and Bond bowled over to give Russellville a 21-7 edge.

Morrilton responded with an 11-play drive capped by a 26-yard field goal by Nathan Adams.

Trailing 21-10, the Devil Dogs got their first break of the game late in the second quarter. With the Cyclones facing third-and-15, Mullen hit Davis on a short pass, but Davis fumbled and Morrilton recovered at the Russellville 35.

New defensive coordinator Jeff Carter's defense forced the Devil Dogs into a fourth-and-8 at the 33, but head coach Cody McNabb, who took over the top position at Morrilton after spending 2004-09 as the Cyclones' defensive coordinator, elected to go for it and it paid dividends. Ford found Criswell for 11 yards and four plays later Paris Avery scampered in from 13 yards out. Adams' PAT made it a 21-17 ballgame going into halftime.

The Cyclones got the ball back early in the third quarter and were quick to extend their lead. Three plays into the drive, Bond took the handoff from junior QB Jordan Barrett and found a gaping hole in a cutback lane and scampered untouched, no Devil Dog ever came within 10 yards of him, 58 yards to give Russellville a 28-17 lead after Barefield's PAT.

Morrilton added a 28-yard field goal by Adams to set the final score with 8:43 to play in the fourth quarter, but neither team could sustain a drive. Russellville turned it over three more times, including a fumble by Barrett at the Devil Dog 1 with 7 seconds left on the clock, the rest of the way, but Carter's defense stopped anything Morrilton threw at them.

"We turned the ball over, but offensively we were good where we thought we would be good: Up front," Holt said. "We threw and caught it well, but we can't turn the ball over (like that)."

Mullen finished the night 7-for-10 with 90 yards and an interception and Barrett was 5-for-9 for 37 yards. Chiolino led the receivers with four grabs for 72 yards.

Ford went 7-for-16 for 142 yards and a TD, while Criswell rushed 22 times for 100 yards and had three receptions for 57 yards and a TD. Avery rushed seven times for 50 yards and a TD.

"Morrilton, they've got some talent, now," Holt said. "They've got some kids that if you get the ball to them in space, they can change the scoreboard. They were very impressive. I knew coach McNabb would have them well prepared, and they were. They played hard all four quarters."